This August, HYROX, Europe’s biggest fitness race, will finally land in Australia, with two events scheduled for Sydney and Melbourne. The fitness race is renowned overseas for its unique but accessible format and sees more than 50,000 participants take part every year. No matter your age or fitness level, the HYROX course, which is based on functional movements you’d usually do on the gym floor, remains the same. This gives every competitor the chance to challenge themselves and show off their abilities. It also gives you something to train for. BFT, Australia’s fastest-growing fitness franchise, is the official HYROX training centre in the Asia Pacific, meaning race goers have more than 240 locations to train in. No matter which category you sign up for, give yourself a chance to perform your best on the day with these four preparation rules: 1. Know the event format Familiarise yourself with what the event involves so you’re not taken by surprise on race day. It will also help you tailor your training. You can expect to compete in the following moves:
Comprised of eight rounds, which include a 1km run followed by a functional movement, the HYROX fitness race takes around 1 hour and 30 minutes to complete, which makes it an endurance race. Because of this, you’ll need to prepare yourself with adequate fitness and nutrition training. If you’re a seasoned gym goer or fitness race connoisseur, push yourself in the Pro category, or stick with the Solo entry. If you’d prefer a taster, you can choose to sign up as a Double or Relay team. 2. Trust the Program BFT have developed a solid, progressive program ready for you to follow, which will be comprised of relevant exercises designed to get you ready to tackle the course. Functional training is a huge focus when it comes to the HYROX event, so practising to build up your endurance for the course, while also learning how to do the exercises in the most efficient way is key for helping you get the best time. The founder of BFT, Cameron Falloon is a former strength and conditioning coach for leading AFL and international soccer teams. Needless to say, you will be training as an elite athlete would and you will be in good hands. 3. Focus on running Resistance training is essential as you’ll be pushing, pulling and lifting various weights throughout the race – but don’t let sprints become your Achilles heel. Schedule a longer walk/jog into your routine and dedicate at least a day or two to sprint work. This involves running as fast as you can for 100m and then repeating at least 10 times. This will help with maintaining bursts of speed during those 1km runs. 4. Don’t skimp on nutrition This is no time to follow a restricted meal plan, though you’ll feel your best if you limit processed and refined foods like pastries, lollies, fried foods and alcohol. Try to stick to a colourful plate of protein, carbs, veggies, and healthy fats. You also need to consider race-day nutrition. You will likely fatigue after 60 minutes, so be sure to pack some sports gels or electrolyte drinks in your backpack to have mid-race. To book into training ahead of the HYROX event, find your local BFT studio here.
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